There is no crude anti-Americanism in Sri Lanka, the some time “coarse vitriolic ” is show of anger for baseless criticism and false accusations.Posted on October 7th, 2009

By Charles.S.Perera

There is no anti-Americanism, and above all there is no anti- Obamanism, in Sri Lanka. There is on the other hand a dislike and displeasure of the American State Administration. It was not started by an identified or self identified nationalism or patriotism of the Sri Lankans, but by the American State Department Personnel and American politicians taking a pro terrorist and anti government move with regard to Sri Lanka.

The avalanche of attacks by the Sri Lankans who took an offence over the statements made by Robert O’Blake the Assistant Secretary of State for Asian Affairs and the Secretary of State Ms.Hillary Clinton, were justifiable and cannot be stated as tirades by self identified nationalists or patriots against American people or its President Barrack Obama.

The President Obama will of course receive the same treatment by the Sri Lankans if they were offended by any of his pronouncements on unverified information given to him by his Officials of the State Department who have personal interest in discrediting the Government of Sri Lanka due to their close connection with the pro-terrorist Tamil expatriates calling themselves the “Tamils for Obama”.

Therefore, it is in the interest of the Obama Presidency that all statements pertaining to Sri Lanka are verified from the “source” before they are submitted to the President or the Congress.

Politically knowledgeable writers using pedantic Marxist verbiage some times write knowingly or unknowingly to give a lopsided view of the Sri Lankans who rightfully take offence over remarks or uncalled for statements against Sri Lanka made at International Forums by American Officials.

The sophisticated political analysts become verbal pugilists attacking people who feel for their country in a simple non affected way, and react to offensive unsubstantiated criticism , as xenophobic chauvinists, taking a distance form the new political revival brought about by Obama.

The Sinhala who seem to have taken more offence over the statement made by Hillary Clinton and efforts of those others like Robert O’Blake to accuse Sri Lanka for violation of human rights are nonetheless aware of the importance of American revival brought about by President Obama, which should be an example for the racist politicians the world over, and specially the Tamil politicians of Sri Lanka, and the pseudo intellectuals like Kumar David, Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu, Narapalasingham and the lot.

Understanding Obama phenomena should make those who clamour for separation of communities under a federal system of government, to support communal unity through abolition of a political system highlighting the ethnic difference.

The first step in this respect would be to have political parties named according to a political system it proposes rather than the Community which it supports. That has to be encouraged, but the move to introduce legislature in this respect has failed. It would be encouraging if the Tamil and Muslim Intelligentsia move to fall in line with the political systems where there are no political parties identified by reference to an ethnic or communal group they represent.

The Sinhala do their part for the protection of the country and the Nation, taking arms against terrorism, or others come forward to oppose those who discredit the country or make damaging statements against its heroes who risked their lives in defence of the country, some speaking from public platforms, while others taking their pens writing to media with words that describe best their feelings. In such reaction there is no xenophobia, chauvinism or Sinhala supremacism. They rise to the occasion as a call of duty to support their motherland and its defenders.

What differentiate the vitriolic reaction of Sri Lankans for the criticism of the Country or its Armed forces is that such criticism has been made to discredit the government and bring disrepute to its armed force, without supporting their venomous words with examples of instances of actual acts on which the accusations are made.

Sri Lanka had suffered for 30 years under terror and many of its worthy political leaders, Army Officers, religious persons and hundreds of innocent men, women and children had been massacred , while the world looked on without giving any help to stop the carnage .

America took arms against Al Qaida the terrorists, who for America were the terrorists posing a danger to America and its allies. The terrorists in Sri Lanka was not their concern, being not a danger either to America or its allies. The West was therefore more considerate and ready to accommodate them, demanding the government of Sri Lanka to negotiate with the terrorists for a political settlement.

Negotiation was furthest from the minds of the Sri Lanka terrorists. They wanted “the pound of flesh” -a separate Eelam State. The West had nothing to loose and would have even liked Sri Lanka to have negotiated to grant the terrorists the Eelam State they wanted.

It was in that climate the Government of Sri Lanka began its determined military operations in 2006, and eliminated terrorism and rescued over 200,000 Tamil people held in captivity by the terrorists in May,2009.

How can then Sri Lanka, like Cuba speak to the West in a different tone and style without using corrosive vitriol ?

The Sri Lankans speak up with anger against the critical West, because the West which is America and its allies, have no real interest in Sri Lanka, its Tamil, Sinhala or Muslim Communities, other than a political interest in Sri Lanka’s strategic situation in the Indian ocean.

Now the West having had done nothing to help Sri Lanka to rid itself of the cancer of terrorism that had eaten into it, now comes out as angels sent from heaven to defend the poor Tamil IDPs .

These IDPs were rescued by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces from the terrorists who had kept them as a human shield. The Sri Lanka Army risked their lives in the daring rescue mission which had no parallel any where else in the world. But the West interferes now in Sri Lanka which they had left to be terrorised by the ruthless armed terrorists, for no other reason than to help the pro terrorist expatriate Tamils, to divide Sri Lanka, which they failed to do through terrorism.

Sri Lanka government which had without any one else’s help had rid itself of terrorism and rescued over 200 000 IDPs is quite capable of completing the task they had undertaken. What Sri Lanka needs is only financial aid, and not foreign NGOs to assist the IDPs which can easily be done by the Sri Lankans, with the Sri Lankan “peace time” Army.

But the West instead takes the advantage of the occasion to divide Sri Lanka, a task left undone by the terrorists. The attempt of the West is a subterfuge to divide Sri Lanka differently with the aid of the expatriate Tamils, by bringing discredit to the government, put the IDPs and political parties of the opposition in Sri Lanka against the government to prepare a climate to politically divide the country between the Tamils and the Sinhala.

That is the real situation in Sri Lanka vis-ƒÆ’†’ -vis the Western interference, with false accusations . This is not the same as the situation of Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Vietnam or China vis-ƒÆ’†’ -vis the West.

The reason why the Sri Lankans speak out with anger is not because of Sinhala ultra-nationalism or anti-Americanism , but it is to react against the injustice and unfair way in which the people with power try to be little their country despite what it has achieved, which the rich and affluent have failed.

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